5 ms·

It's probably done using Hollywood accounting: 50% lighter for the specific oval region where there used to be glass. Probably only a 7% gain for the total fuse

It's probably done using Hollywood accounting: 50% lighter for the specific oval region where there used to be glass. Probably only a 7% gain for the total fuselage. Also Windows play a role in emergencies: "that sides on fire, let's open the other escape door"

paulcole 8y ago
> Also Windows play a role in emergencies: "that sides on fire, let's open the other escape door" That seems extremely hypothetical and optimistic. If your large passenger plane is on fire you're probably already dead.
- Declanomous 8y ago
  Windows actually are used for visual inspection in flight in a number of cases. You can actually see markings above certain rows where a pilot or a flight attendant could look out and inspect something. I think the types of things they would be looking for are flap deployment, icing, damage to the wing, gear deployment (though there is usually a window in the floor for this), etc. There's a great YouTube channel called Mentour Pilot that covers a lot of stuff like this, but I can't find his video that discusses visual inspections. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpHKudUkP5tNgmMdexB3ow/featured https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpHKudUkP5tNgmMdexB3ow/fea...
- matt4077 8y ago
  The emergency door exit instructions specifically mention checking for fire outside as one of the steps. It's also one of the requirements for starts and landings, along with "make sure your seat back and folding trays are in their full upright position".
  - paulcole 8y ago
    Yeah, I'm sure Emirates forget about this before considering a windowless plane. Or maybe there are other ways to check for fire?
eftychis 8y ago
That is correct. The existence of some windows enable passengers/personnel to check for engine or wing damage (fire, birds, flap issues etc). The idea I am guessing is to use video. The 50% lighter just doesn't work any way you spin it. I think this is another example of the journalist not really digging and verifying statements in a subject their knowledge is lacking/non-existent. (Similar to, "wine/chocolate/smoking/x cures cancer new study shows".) You can't just remove all the fuselage reinforcements even if you remove the windows... Still, observe as mentioned in calculations [0], even the ~1% gain is significant as it accumulates over time. [0] https://aerospace-europe.eu/media/books/CEAS2015_211.pdf https://aerospace-europe.eu/media/books/CEAS2015_211.pdf

paulcole 8y ago

> Also Windows play a role in emergencies: "that sides on fire, let's open the other escape door" That seems extremely hypothetical and optimistic. If your large passenger plane is on fire you're probably already dead.

Declanomous 8y ago
Windows actually are used for visual inspection in flight in a number of cases. You can actually see markings above certain rows where a pilot or a flight attendant could look out and inspect something. I think the types of things they would be looking for are flap deployment, icing, damage to the wing, gear deployment (though there is usually a window in the floor for this), etc. There's a great YouTube channel called Mentour Pilot that covers a lot of stuff like this, but I can't find his video that discusses visual inspections. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpHKudUkP5tNgmMdexB3ow/featured https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwpHKudUkP5tNgmMdexB3ow/fea...
matt4077 8y ago
The emergency door exit instructions specifically mention checking for fire outside as one of the steps. It's also one of the requirements for starts and landings, along with "make sure your seat back and folding trays are in their full upright position".
- paulcole 8y ago
  Yeah, I'm sure Emirates forget about this before considering a windowless plane. Or maybe there are other ways to check for fire?

eftychis 8y ago

That is correct. The existence of some windows enable passengers/personnel to check for engine or wing damage (fire, birds, flap issues etc). The idea I am guessing is to use video. The 50% lighter just doesn't work any way you spin it. I think this is another example of the journalist not really digging and verifying statements in a subject their knowledge is lacking/non-existent. (Similar to, "wine/chocolate/smoking/x cures cancer new study shows".) You can't just remove all the fuselage reinforcements even if you remove the windows... Still, observe as mentioned in calculations [0], even the ~1% gain is significant as it accumulates over time. [0] https://aerospace-europe.eu/media/books/CEAS2015_211.pdf https://aerospace-europe.eu/media/books/CEAS2015_211.pdf